Plumbing, flush and scrub: "Head-iquette" ;)

[Captain Smollett]

I wouldn't recommend plumbing the overboard discharge and deck pumpout lines separately, as most tanks don't have two pickup fittings, and you'd have to add one to the tank.  It can be difficult to add a fitting to a polyethylene tank, which most of the commercially available tanks are made of, which doesn't leak.   

Thanks, but I will either be building my own custom tank or purchasing a custom tank, designed specifically for the Alberg 30, from Raritan.  Even if I purchase the Raritan tank, I will have to add the fittings since the tank does not come with them installed.

So, I can pretty much do what I want as far as fittings go.

Also, IMHO, the more fittings you have in the tank, the more chances you have of a leak.

You actually have more connections, and chances to leak (3 vs 2), with a diverter valve.  Plus, the valve itself is a potential point of failure.

[AdriftAtSea]

It depends on how you add the tank fittings.  The tank fittings on most commercial tanks are on the side, and as such are potential leak points. If the fittings are through the top of the tank, then they are very unlikely to leak. 

With the diverter valve setup I have, the only time there is a potential leak problem at the diverter valve is when I am actively pumping out the tank, either via the deck fitting or the Whale pump, since it is higher than the top of the tank.  So, I only have one possible leak point at the tank. 

Granted, I do run the risk of it leaking at the diverter valve, but don't believe that will be an issue, due to the fact that I have it setup to minimize the chance of sewage sitting in either the hoses leading to the Whale pump or deck fitting or the diverter valve itself. The input from the holding tank pumpout fitting is the bottom port on a Y-shaped diverter valve, so gravity will drain the hoses back into the holding tank.

[Captain Smollett]

It depends on how you add the tank fittings.  The tank fittings on most commercial tanks are on the side, and as such are potential leak points. If the fittings are through the top of the tank, then they are very unlikely to leak.

Okay.  Either of the tank strategies I am exploring involve top mounted fittings due to space constraints.  I'm not going to be using a generic commercial tank from WM or other supplier.  This will be either one specifically designed for a specific location in an A-30 or one I build myself.

[AdriftAtSea]

Don't forget to put in a cleanout/inspection port for the holding tank.  This can be a very useful thing to have if one of your guests flushes something that gets stuck in the tank. 

[AdriftAtSea]

Well, here's the rough photos of the installation. 


Photo #1

The new pumpout diverter valve, attached to the forward side of the partition between the head and the holding tank areas.  You can also see the re-routed hose that allows the head to pump directly into the holding tank. Currently, the handle is in the pump out to sea position.  To make the head secure for in-shore use, you would have to lock the handle in the opposite position or lock the handle on the seacock in the closed position.

Note: the common port of the diverter valve that connects to the holding tank points down and is higher than the top of the holding tank, making it very unlikely to leak or for any black water to remain sitting in the valve of hose.




Photo #2

The Whale Mk 5 Diaphragm pump is located in the same compartment as the head.  It is a tight fit, but was really the only way I could rig it. The new Whale Mk 5 Universal diaphragm pump connects one port of the diverter valve to the seacock and through-hull, allowing me to pumpout the tank while at sea.  The hoses are highest at the point it crosses the partition, which should allow black water to drain down through the pump and down to the through-hull—minimizing the amount of standing water in the system.

The pump is mounted on a 3/4" block of plywood, which is attached to the platform the head sits on.




Photo #3

An overview of the head installation. You can see the slot I cut for the Whale pump's removable handle.  I will be cleaning up the slot and adding a face plate to it this weekend.

[CharlieJ]

I see no pictures senor

[AdriftAtSea]

LOL... had a typo... a capital JPG, instead of jpg... darn linux server... case-sensitive names.

[Oldrig]

Capn Smollett:

My Cape Dory 25D has the kind of setup you mentioned in one of your posts: a pump-out fitting and an overboard discharge, without a diverter valve.

My 12-gal. holding tank has one outgoing line that runs through a Whale pump (with a loop in the tube), to a seacock and hence overboard. I never use this feature, although it is available should I need it and be far enough from shore.

Because Buzzards Bay is a no-discharge zone, I keep the handle of the seacock locked shut with a permanent wire tie--which the USCG considers a permanent seal.

The tank also has a second tube that goes to a standard pump-out fitting, which is what I use currently.

This holding tank does NOT have an inspection port, and I would certainly encourage you to put one into your system. I haven't had any disasters yet, but once I opened the inspection port on the tank to discover ... that I was very lucky it was a dead-calm day. Ugh!

--Joe

[AdriftAtSea]

once I opened the inspection port on the tank to discover ... that I was very lucky it was a dead-calm day. Ugh!

That's why I installed an inspection port with a clear deck plate—so I can see through it before opening it.  :D

[Frank]

Capt S....OOOPS..forgot about the pump till today. It's a " Henderson Mark V" waste systems,self priming pump. Has a shut-off valve built in. Works great.

[pura vida]

I'm using the same plumbing arrangement as AdriftAtSea but the tank is a Raritan Compact that fits around the head. It iis permanently installed but can be set up so that one could remove it like a porta potty and carry it to the dump station. At five gallons it is too small for some but the big advantage I see is not loosing any locker space.

pv

[CapnK]

Hadn't seen that Raritan tank - that's a good idea, IMO, making it possible to carry off the boat.

How has the Raritan head been working for you? Have you used it a lot? Any problems?

[pura vida]

So far so good. Since I'm single handing I don't need to pump out too often despite its small size. I love the way it fits around the head and uses otherwise wasted space. The stock holding tank that came on later 27s  used up a lot of locker space I would rather use for other storage. Frankly I'm more concerned about some of my rube goldberg plumbing leaking rather than the tank.

[CapnK]

That wraparound design seems like an optimal solution for a small boat - kudos to whoever thought of it! According to their website, you can use it with other brands of heads, too.

http://www.raritaneng.com/products/holding_tanks/compact_tanks.html

Manual: http://www.raritaneng.com/pdf_files/holding_tank/L326v1101.pdf

[rtbates]

That's exactly how Seraph, our Cape Dory 25D, is plumbed Except that the holding tank overboard discharge line shares, via a Y valve, the same discharge port as the electric bilge pump out the transom. I've only used it once as a test when the tank was empty and I filled it with water. I would imagine that it would require that I clear out the line after use by pumping bilge water through the line.

I do like the fact that there is no way what so ever to inadvertently pump the head directly overboard.

[Lynx]

Strange that it took me this long. I keep a spray bottel of Liquid Laundry Detergent and water in the head area to clean. Nothing else any more. Very cheep and works quite well.

[Volksdraggin]

I have a quick question, its sad my first post on this forum is in the toilet thread.  :-\

Does the toilet suppose to constantly have water in it? I pump the lever and it makes the water become clear but it never drains down to a level that I don't fear it pouring out when the boat has a nice lean going on. I usually have about 5-6 inches of water in the bowl and just fear thats too much, yet I haven't had any come out while out in 6'+ seas so I might be overly worried but just don't want a mess.

[Bill NH]

Does the toilet suppose to constantly have water in it? I pump the lever and it makes the water become clear but it never drains down to a level that I don't fear it pouring out when the boat has a nice lean going on. I usually have about 5-6 inches of water in the bowl and just fear thats too much, yet I haven't had any come out while out in 6'+ seas so I might be overly worried but just don't want a mess.

When you have pumped enough to clear the bowl, pump another 15 strokes or so (depending on your plumbing length) to clear waste from the line. 

Now close the intake valve on the head and continue to pump the remaining water out of the bowl.  (With the valve closed no more water should be coming in...)  You should be able to get the bowl pretty much empty.

[Volksdraggin]

I feel silly, I think I left the valve open when it was pumped and my entire tank is full of sea water, this is the only logical explanation for it not draining out even after I had the tank pumped just a week ago. Any other suggestions?

[psyche]

I have a Lavac system with 3 three way valves. I can pump to the holding tank, pump directly over the side and pump the holding tank over the side. If you go to James Baldwin's site www.atomvoyages.com you will find info on how to do this.
Dan